Back To School Tips From Rockville City Police

>My goodness! It seems school is just about here — why, the public schools are set to begin August 26, did you know that?

With so many kids walking to school, we thought it would be a good idea to compile some of the Rockville Police Department’s helpful tips to residents:

Back To School:

To help you stay safe and healthy this school year, McGruff® the Crime Dog says:

• Work out a safe route to school with your parents. Chose the quickest way with the fewest street crossings and intersections with crossing guards. Stay away from parks, vacant lots, fields, and other places where there aren’t many people around.
  
• Walk to and from school with a friend, neighbor, brother, or sister, don’t go by yourself.
  
• Be sure you know your home phone number and address, the number of your parents at work and of another trusted adult, and how to use 911 for emergencies.
  
• Never talk to strangers or accept rides or gifts from strangers. Remember, a stranger is anyone you or your parents don’t know well or don’t trust.
  
• If you bike or skateboard to school, wear a helmet. And don’t forget to lock up your bike wherever you leave it.
  
• If you’re home alone after school, check in with a parent or neighbor as soon as you walk in the door.
  
• Let parents and friends know if you stay late after school. Get permission first if you want to play with a friend instead of going home.

If you see anyone doing something that makes you uneasy or you think isn’t right – a stranger hanging around the school playground, a bigger kid bullying younger children, vandalism or graffiti for example – tell your parents, a teacher, or another trusted adult. ( Made available by The National Citizens’ Crime Prevention Campaign, sponsored by the Crime Prevention Coalition.)

Bicycle Safety Tips:

Did you know that about 75% of all bicycle related deaths result from head injuries? You can prevent most serious head injuries by getting in the helmet-wearing habit.

The helmet should have a label that says it meets “ANSI” or “Snell” or “ASTM” safety standards. The helmet should cover the forehead. Riding a bike of the wrong size make it easier for you to lose control and be injured.

• Both feet should touch the ground when you are sitting on the seat with your hands on the handlebar.
• When straddling the center bar, you should be able to keep both feet flat on the ground with about one-inch between your crotch and the bar.
• If the bike has hand brakes, make sure you can comfortably hold the brakes and apply enough pressure to stop the bike.

Some rules for the road:

• Look in all directions before entering or crossing the street.
• Wear bright colored clothes or helmet or attach a florescent-colored flag on a flexible pole to your bike.
• If you ride on the street ride in the same direction as traffic and stay on the right side of the street near the curb.
• Watch out for parked cars that may pull out into traffic or open their car doors.
• Use hand signals
• Bicyclist must obey the same rules of the road as automobile drivers.

Always lock you bike to prevent theft. Never just leave your bike on the front lawn when you go inside or away from the house. Keep a description of the bicycle, including the serial number.

(Image from Rockville City Police Department.)

Tips From Rockville Police: Going Away On Vacation

> The Rockville Police have a number of helpful tips for ordinary citizens in various situations. It’s the kind of thing you might not run across in your normal Web-surfing life. As a community service, Rockville Central will occasionally highlight Tips From Rockville Police.

It’s holiday season, which means it’s vacation time for many readers. Here is what the Rockville Police Department has to say about securing your home when you leave for a trip:

Thieves look for what police term “targets of opportunity.” There are many things you can do to avoid becoming one of the victims, especially when you are going to be away from your home for an extended period of time.

• If you plan to be gone for a long period of time, have someone pick up your mail and newspaper, or have them stopped until you return.
• Double check second floor, garage and basement windows–areas that are often forgotten.
• Leave a car in the driveway. Have outside lights turned on and off with a timer.
• Arrange to have the yard cut and bushes trimmed.
• Have several timers attached to lights in various locations throughout the house.
• Ask neighbors to check your house regularly. Leave a number with them where you can be located. Ask them to use your garbage cans.
• Don’t tell everyone about your vacation plans.
• Don’t leave notes on your door for deliveries, friends, etc..
• If you return home and find a break-in, do not enter the house. Call police at once using a neighbor’s phone.
• Make an inventory of your property. Mark your valuables with an engraver. Use your driver’s license number (and State) as identification on your property.
• Make sure your doors and windows are locked with the deadbolt lock and auxiliary locks.

For more information about crime prevention call the Rockville City Police Department Community Services Officer 240-314-8922.

Tips From Rockville Police: Working Parents

> The Rockville Police have a number of helpful tips for ordinary citizens in various situations. It’s the kind of thing you might not run across in your normal Web-surfing life. As a community service, Rockville Central will occasionally highlight Tips From Rockville Police.

School has been in session for some time, and routines have now become set. The after-school-until-after-work time period, for many parents, is a concern. And with good reason too: It’s during this unsupervised time that certain types of crime spike on most days.

The Rockville Police Department has a few suggestions:

• If your children are to be in charge of themselves at home, talk about activities they can do and the routines they are to follow. Discuss family policies on entertaining and visiting friends and what to do when the phone or doorbell rings.

• Have children – teens too – check in with you at work or with a neighbor when they come home from school. Be sure they memorize your work phone number and give this number to a neighbor too. Post it next to the phone, along with numbers for a neighbor, police, and fire department. Let your kids know when you will be home.
• Check out baby-sitters and day care centers carefully. Ask for references and call them!
• Instruct children and baby-sitters not to give out any information about who is home, who is out, and for how long.
• Get together with your neighbors, PTA, Boys Club/Girls Club, and schools to provide after school activities as a alternative to leaving a child at home alone.
• Talk to your employer about employer-supported childcare options. These can range from an on-site day care center to summer day camps, information and referral services, and financial assistance.

(Image City of Rockville)